Elastic-fluid turbine.



e. WESTINGHOUSE.

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1905.

94:1 ,395. Patented N0v.30, 1909.

H/SATTORNEY IN FACT- UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE'WEST- INGI-IOUSE MACHIISTI'E COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELASTIC-FLUID TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

Application filed May 2, 1905. Serial No. 258,485.

vented a new and useful Improvement in Elastic-Fluid Turbines, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to elastic fluid turbines. The stators or casings of elastic fluid turbines, from various causes, distort. In most types of turbmes, the rotors thereof after passing the critical speed rotate about their gravity axes instead of their geometric axes. On account of these conditions, it has been found necessary in the multl-cellular type of turbines to leave clearances beyond the free ends of the blades and vanes suflitending flanges presenting thin wearing surfaces in close proximity to the rotor or stator, as the case may be. This method,

"however, is open to some veryserious objections. The shrouds are usually riveted to the blades and vanes, and. when the flanges become worn through contact on account of distortion or from any othercause, the minimum clearance desired cannot be restored, and the efiiciency of the turbine is therefore lessened. I

An object of this invention has been to provide a renewable clearance piece or strip, which will serve as a wearing strip for the ends of the turbine blades, whether the same are shrouded or unshrouded.

In the drawings which illustrate several forms of this invention, all embodying the generalprinciple, Figures 1 and 2 are views in end elevation of av number of annular rows of turbine blades and vanes secured to their respective holding elements, such as the stator and rotor, and the holding elements are shown equipped with this invention. The blades and vanes may be secured to their respective holding elements in any and,as is now common, arranged in annular'rows.

Fig. I the holding elements are shown as provided with two of the combined clearance-maintaining and wearing strips 5 in line with each of the annular rowsof blades and vanes. In the left of this figure an unshrouded blade or vane is shown at 6, and ;the blades are shown lashed together as at 7 by any suitable means. At 8 in said figure, a shroud is shown riveted to the ends of the blades and vanes, and at .9 the blades are shown as formed with a shroud integral therewith; that is, each of the blades and vanes has its outer end upset, as is now common, to" form a shroud portion.

In Fig. 2 but one combined wearing and clearance-maintaining strip is shown opposite the ends of each of the'rows of blades and vanes.

It may be seen thata minimum clearance may be had without the liability to trouble, for if the blades and vanes do contact with these wearing strips, the same, which will be made of metal soften than the blades or i'anes, will be worn away, and this will be done without tearing out the blades or vanes. Further, the strips being thin, any heat generated by contact will be quickly dissipated by radiation and conduction.

In assembling theturbine, the blades of the rotor, which may be either shrouded or unshrouded, will be ground ort' concentric to the turbine axis, and the vanes on the stator will be bored out, and the turbine ma be assembledwithout any clearance between the blades and vanes and the wearing strips, and the rotors revolved to grind their own clearances. In this mannerit will be seen that the smallestclearance possible may be obtained. If, for any reason, these wearing strips become worn out in use, they may be readily replaced in the field by new strips, as they are easily inserted and secured within their slots. This is an important point, for the normal clearance can be restored at any time.

Having thus described this invention, what 1 claim as new and useful and desire to secure, by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1., In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with the annular rows of alternate moving blades and stationary vanes, renewable wearii'ig strips arranged in annular rows in line with said blades and vanes.

2. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combinationwith the annular rows of alternate moving ing blades and stationaryvanes, renewable clearance determining strips rigidly held in blades and stationary vanes, renewable wearing strips arranged in annular rows in line with said vanes and blades and formed f from softer metal than the blades or vanes.

4. In an elastic fluid turbine,;a}nnular rows of rotor blades and renewable clearance determinin rings secured to the stator in line with sai rows.

5. In arr-elastic fluid turbine, in combination with alternate annular rowsof shrouded moving blades and stationary vanes, one or more renewable wearing. strips arranged in annular rows in line with said rows of blades andwanes.

6. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with therotor blades thereof, renewable clearance determining members secured in position adjacent to the ends of said blades.

7. In elastic fluid turbine, in combination with the shrouded blades and vanes thereof, removable stripswhereby the desired clearance maybe maintained and restored w thout mutilating' "said blades or vanes.

8. In an elastic fluid-turbine, in combination with'the blades and vanes thereof, renewable clearance determining members whereby the desired. clearance may be blades or vanes thereof,

9. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with-the shrouded blades and vanes thereof, clearance determining strips arranged in annular rows and secured to the stator in line'with the blade rows" and to the rotor in line with the vane rows.

10. In, an elastic fluid turbine, in combinationlwith annular rows of shrouded blades,

, .relativelyjhinclearance determinin rings secured tol tl e stator in line with sai rows.

11. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with rows of shrouded blades and vanes,

renewable clearance determining means whereby without disturbing said shrouds the desired clearance maybe maintained or restored.

, In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with an annular row of rotor blades and th stationary casing, a clearance strip calked into a groove insaid casing lo e'ated adjacent to the ends of said blades.

13. In anelast-ie fluid turbine, in combina tionwith an annularrow of rotor-blades and Y the'StatIonarycasing, an annular slot in said casing ad acentto'the'ends of said blades, a

clearance determining strip, and means for securing said strip in said slot.

ternate-movmaintained and restored without disturbing the 14. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with an annular row of rotor blades and the stationary casing, an annular slot. in said casin vadjacent to the ends of said blades, a c earance determining strip,-and a calking strip for. securing said 0 strip in said slot.

15, In an elastic fluid turbine, in combine-l earance tion with an annular row of rotor blades and r the stationary casing, an annular'slotcut in said casing, a strip mounted in said slot and provided with two projectingl edges extending into close proximity to t e ends of said blades.

16. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with a blade or vane holding element provided with slots for the reception of blades or vanes, renewable strips secured to said element and located between adjacent blade-mounting slots. i

. 17. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with a blade-holding element, provided with a plurality of blade or vane mounting slots, blades or vanes mounted in said slots, renewable strips located between said slots and means for securing said strips in place on said element.

18. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with a blade or vane mounting element, provided with a plurality of blade or vane mounting slots, blades or vanes located within said slots, soft'metal strips located between adjacent slots and means for securing said blades or vanes and said strips in place on said element. l I

19. In an elastic fluid turbine, in combination with a blade or vane holding element, a plurality of rows of blades or vanes mounted on said element, a renewable soft meta-l strip located between adjacent rows -bf blades or vanes, a slot provided in said'felement and means for securing said strip to said element by calking it into said slot.

20. In combination with the blade-carrying element of a turbine, provided with means for securing a plurality of rows of blades thereto, a metal strip rigidly secured to said element and located between" adjacent rows of blades.

21. In combination with the blade-carrying element of a turbine, a plurality of rows of blades secured thereto and a wearing strip secured to said element and located between adj acent rows of blades.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this twenty-fourth day a of April, 1905.

GEO. IVE STINGHQUSE.

Witnesses:

DAVID WILLIAMS, E. W. MGCALLISTER. 

